Toni Kroos comes up big against Real Madrid

The versatile midfielder has had a tremendous season, with his crowning achievement a virtuoso display on the grand stage. Goal.com profiles his remarkable development.Five years ago, Toni Kroos was the best player in the world in his age group. The central attacking midfielder won the Golden Ball at the 2007 Under-17 World Cup, and was promoted to the Bayern Munich senior team soon after. Club president Uli Hoeness praised the youngster to the heavens, even vowing to reserve the No. 10 shirt for the acne-spotted talent.Things did not go as planned for Kroos, however, and the coveted shirt was instead given to Arjen Robben in 2009. After one-and-a-half seasons of stagnation, the youngster was cast away on loan to Leverkusen. In 18 months under coach Jupp Heynckes, Kroos blossomed. But his return to Munich was far from triumphant, as he struggled in a defensive midfield role in Louis van Gaal’s notoriously forward-minded system.Fast forward to the current campaign and Kroos has finally made good on the promise he showed in his teens. Reunited with Heynckes, he has flourished in a central playmaking role, often displacing the previously untouchable Thomas Muller from the starting line-up. When Bastian Schweinsteiger was injured for the majority of four months, Kroos gradually gained Heynckes’ confidence, and is now an automatic choice for the role of deputy defensive midfielder.With nurturing from his trainer and mentorship from Schweinsteiger, Kroos has made tremendous strides this season, progress that was affirmed on the greatest stage of all on Tuesday as Bayern earned a 2-1 win against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash.